Honoring Community on Juneteenth: The Minnesota Wild and Our Partners in Progress

Juneteenth is a time for reflection, education, and celebration of Black freedom, resilience, and excellence. It’s also a day to recognize the organizations and individuals who continue to lead meaningful change in our communities.

At the Minnesota Wild, we are proud to partner with several incredible nonprofits making a lasting impact in the State of Hockey—especially in the Black community. This Juneteenth, we are honored to highlight four of our trusted partners: Be The Change, Boys and Girls Club of the Twin Cities, Mosaic Hockey Collective, and DinoMights. These organizations uplift, empower, and inspire every day—and we’re proud to stand beside them.

Be The Change

Mission: Be The Change Minnesota connects underserved children, teens, and families with quality resources, curated experiences, and equitable access to community support systems. Visit their site →

Our Partnership: For the past three years, the Wild have proudly sponsored several of Be The Change’s hallmark events, including the annual Golf Tournament, Winter Wonderland, and the Follow Your Dreams Career Fair, which connects Minneapolis Public School students and families to real-world opportunities.

In March 2024, we were honored to curate a powerful experience for students from Nellie Stone Johnson and Cityview Elementary Schools—a private screening of Soul on Ice at the historic Capri Theater in North Minneapolis. Writer and director Kwame Mason joined the conversation, alongside local Black leaders, to engage youth in a dialogue about race, hockey, and representation.

This year, the Minnesota Wild—in collaboration with Be The Change and Knock—thoughtfully designed the Black History Celebration jerseys, which were featured as the exclusive ticket pack item for Black History Celebration Night. The jersey served as a meaningful symbol of partnership, culture, and storytelling through sport.

Boys and Girls Club of the Twin Cities

Mission: To enable all young people—especially those who need us most—to reach their full potential as productive, caring, responsible citizens. Visit their site →

Our Partnership: A long-standing relationship, the Wild partner with Boys and Girls Club of the Twin Cities on Wild University, a high school-level curriculum that explores the business of live sports and entertainment. Presented by US Bank, the program invites Wild and Xcel Energy Center employees to meet with students monthly throughout the regular season, helping them explore careers in sports—from marketing to ice operations.

The Boys and Girls Club is one of the Wild’s five DE&I partners, and their mission aligns closely with our own commitment to equity and access.

The DinoMights

Mission: The DinoMights equips urban youth to grow in Physical, Academic, Social, and Spiritual excellence through hockey and beyond. Visit their site →

Our Partnership: DinoMights have been a valued partner of the Minnesota Wild since the team’s inception. As one of our five DE&I community partners, we are deeply proud of the relationship we’ve built over the years.

Each season, the Wild support DinoMights through internship opportunities, in-kind donations for fundraising, and a $25,000 annual grant from the Minnesota Wild Foundation to power their Learn to Skate program.

Our staff have also volunteered at DinoMights events throughout the years—whether it’s helping with their annual rink build, supporting the Billy Lindsay Run, or participating in their Learn to Skate programming. DinoMights isn’t just introducing young people to hockey—it’s building character, confidence, and community through every stride on the ice.

Continuing the Work—Together

The Minnesota Wild believe in the power of hockey to connect and inspire. But the game is only as strong as the community that supports it. We are committed to walking alongside these organizations, not just on Juneteenth, but every day of the year.

Together, we can honor the past, uplift the present, and build a more inclusive future—for the State of Hockey and beyond.